Junior days on the rise at college football programs across the country

Over the past decade, football recruiting has evolved into a beast that rarely sleeps.

New Penn State football coach Bill O'Brien, left, talks to the crowd as his coaching staff stands next to him during halftime of the Penn State NCAA college basketball game against Iowa, Thursday, Feb. 16, 2012, in State College, Pa.

Less than three weeks removed from National Letter of Intent Day for the class of 2012, college campuses across the country are adding another coat of polish to their sales pitch as they ready for junior days.

Once a cattle call for potential prospects, junior day has shed some pounds the last half-dozen years and become a much smaller and more intimate affair. And its importance in the overall recruiting process has soared.

“If you get invited to junior day, there is no guarantee of a scholarship offer. But it has become something that shows a school is taking you seriously,” said Jared Shanker, who covers the Big Ten among the 30 colleges he follows for ESPN.com.

“These junior days, with it pretty much being invite-only, gives the recruit an idea who is really interested in them.”

Tom Lemming, who has spent more than 30 years evaluating high school players, said in a recent NCSA Athletic Recruiting Network press release that junior day “means you are on the radar for these college coaches. If you haven’t been invited to attend junior day, you are not getting recruited.”

Penn State is hosting the first junior day under new head coach Bill O’Brien on Saturday, with roughly three dozen players invited to State College for the one-day inside look at the PSU program.

What once was a showcase has turned into a hardcore day of recruiting. The main focus of junior day is access — for the recruit and the school.

“Junior days are just as big for the kids as it is for the program now,” Shanker said.

Players and their parents get a chance to meet with the head coach in person. This is significant because NCAA rules prohibit players from making official visits until their senior year.

And coaches could not talk to recruits during school visits in December or January, and can’t visit recruits off campus during the spring evaluation period.

So getting to speak directly with the man in charge with all parties at the table — player, parents and occasionally the high school head coach — is critical one-on-one face time.

Cedar Cliff tight end Adam Breneman has more than 30 offers and is rated as the No. 1 junior tight end prospect in the country, according to several outlets. He will not be in State College for junior day on Saturday, but he will be there today to meet with O’Brien and the staff.

Central Dauphin RB-WR-LB Zayd Issah is slated to attend the PSU junior day along with several highly rated out-of-state prospects.

“This is going to be a huge first step for O’Brien,” Shanker said. “When he came in, he had so few recruits he had to focus on the 2012 class. Most other coaches were already working full-time on the 2013 class.

“Looking at Penn State’s list of guys they are bringing in, they have some big names from outside Pennsylvania who might not be in tune with PSU. So O’Brien and his new staff have the chance to make a big impression as they move the program forward.”

The importance of junior day is yet another sign of the recruiting process becoming more accelerated, with coaches across the country spending more time now on recruiting than they do in the days leading up to LOI day.

These one-day affairs usually include meetings with position coaches, coordinators on staff, the strength and conditioning staff and academic advisors. Most offer tours of the campus and possibly a basketball game if the schedule is favorable.

It gives the player an inside look at the program with his own two eyes.

As the importance of junior day grows in stature as part of the overall football recruiting process — LSU and Texas have received commitments from players out of junior day in recent years — will this lead to the NCAA down a path to establish an early signing period?

The debate has been raging for several years, but most coaches agree that the growth of junior day alone isn’t enough to get the wheels of change rolling.

At the top of the list is getting the NCAA to amend the date when recruits can start official visits.

Currently, the NCAA has a proposal under review that would allow recruits to take official visits before Sept. 1 of their senior season. If the NCAA eases that standard, it could open the door for an early signing period.

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